Drive, and Other Short Stories About Gems
by lovelyBRN13
Summary: Short drabbles about the Gems living their lives. AUs and spoilers abound. Originally just a one-shot. Stories may or may not correlate with each other.
1. Drive

**Steven Universe and all affiliated characters belong to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.**

 **The song "Drive" by Halsey, which inspired this fic, belongs to Halsey.**

 **Please support the official release of both.**

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 **WARNING: This fanfiction contains spoilers for the episodes Beach City Drift, Alone at Sea, and Crack the Whip. If anything happens in this fic that is wrong in the future, including Steven vs Amethyst, do NOT put spoilers for what that specifically is in the review section. Please do not spoil the series for others! Thank you.**

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Steven and Connie sat in the back passenger seat of the Supremo, both of them looking out of their respective windows.

Finally, Connie spoke first.

"I deleted that one picture you took." She said, lightly tracing the horizon with her finger. The sun was just about to set in Beach City, the sky starting to be filled with orange instead of blue. "The picture you took of Jasper."

Steven looked up from his examining of the door handle. "Really?"

"I didn't want them to worry." Connie explained. "I knew that if they saw what we were fighting, they would be worried about us."

Steven finally turned around to face Connie. "I'm more worried about another thing, really."

"The Diamonds?" Connie asked, also turning around. "I know. Whenever I think about the possibility of another war happening, it really freaks me out. Everyone who would get caught up in it, too...and whatever Jasper would do to involve herself in it, too."

Steven sighed. "I wish I could heal Centi all the way. I'd love to hear what exactly happened when she became corrupted, so we could prevent it on a bigger scale." Connie pretended not to notice him clutching his gem at the last part.

"That would be nice..." Connie leaned back against the seat. "You know, we're probably just getting stressed out talking about this. I know I am. It's scary to think about."

"You know what?" Steven asked. "Let's go somewhere."

"Huh?"

"Well, we have a car, and I made sure to fill up the tank. Let's just drive somewhere, get our mind off things for a bit."

"Do you have a specific place in mind?"

"Just somewhere out of town. I think we both need to get away for a little while, it doesn't matter where exactly. Wherever we end up is where we went in the end."

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This lead up to Stevonnie driving up to the city limits, stars beginning to appear in the sky. They sighed, driving past the sign with the other cars, rolling down the window to let some fresh air in.

"The sky's beautiful tonight." They whispered, looking up. The silence finally got to Stevonnie, and they turned on the radio to tune it out. "So, we just drive, huh? Simple enough..."

The hours passed by, the scenery changing from dotted cities and towns in the distance to endless countryside. Stevonnie pulled onto the side of the road and climbed onto the roof of the car, laying down.

"See that star, over there?" Stevonnie said, pointing to an especially bright object in the dark night sky. "That's Homeworld. Or, at least, Homeworld's galaxy." They smiled at their astrology knowledge, then frowned. "You know, I'm going to miss views like these...all of the stars, the endless valleys, the way the wind feels right now..." They sat up. "I never want to let go of moments like these. I don't want to see them go away..." They gently wiped a tear away. "I never knew you felt that way, Steven. But, you never know, you could always do things like this, just go out and drive..." Stevonnie nodded. "But, there's going to be a time where you're not here to stargaze with me."

Connie instantly knew what Steven was implying.

"I don't want to let go. I don't want to say goodbye. I...I don't want to be alone."

Stevonnie wrapped their arms around themselves. "Well, you're not alone right now. And we don't have to separate for now." They looked up. "Though we might want to continue driving for now. I think it's going to rain soon."

Connie had been right about the rain. A few minutes after continuing their drive, rain soon fell, and they turned on the windshield wipers, adding in a soft pulsing. They had turned the radio off. All they had was the rain and the sound of the windshield wipers to cover up their sadness.

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It was about three when they finally got back to Beach City. Stevonnie parked the Supremo and got out to find a very angry Priyanka standing in front of a very humbled looking Greg. Stevonnie instantly unfused upon seeing this sight, both Steven and Connie falling to the ground.

"Hi, Mrs. Maheshwaran!" Steven said sheepishly. However, rather than Connie's mother running up to them, it was Greg, instead.

"Where have you two been?" He exclaimed worriedly. "Do you even know what time it is?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Universe, it was my fault." Connie suddenly said, to Steven's surprise. "I was feeling really stressed out, and Steven suggested a drive to calm down a bit. So, we went out for a bit, but we really didn't expect to be out for so long. It was Steven's idea, but I was the one who started it."

"As long as you two are alright." Greg sighed. "Though, really, you should've told us before you left. I was worried that rogue Gem might've gotten you guys or something. And remember that if both of you have any questions or concerns, you could just talk to me, you know."

"This might've been a little beyond your expertise." Steven said quietly. Greg gave him a sideways look. "Connie and I were worried about a second Gem war happening. I don't want to let the Gems down, but if I can't figure out what Mom did to save everyone, then..." He let out a shaky breath. "And, what am I going to do if I end up alone? If..."

Greg stooped down and hugged Steven, then hugged Connie. "I'm sorry. I should've seen that something that heavy was bothering you guys and talked to you about it first. I'm just going to say don't worry about it too much. Sometimes thinking too much about the future can cause you to be obsessed with worst-case scenarios. Just focus on the present."

Steven and Connie nodded, and Connie left with her mother, telling her about who Jasper was and about her first encounter with her. Greg drove Steven over to the temple, but when they got there, he parked it but didn't get out.

"It never occurred to me that'd you think about that kind of stuff." Greg said simply. "I guess I never thought about it myself."

It started raining again.

"I don't even know if I can regenerate." Steven said after a while. "Or what would happen if I did manage to get poofed."

"Then, can you promise me to just try your best to be careful?" Greg asked. "For your and Connie's sakes."

"Yeah, I can promise that." Steven said. He got out of the van. "I'll see you around, Dad."

"See ya, Kiddo." Greg replied, and drove off.

Steven walked up to the steps of the Temple, clutched his gem again, but let go and climbed the stairs. Whatever would happen in the future, a Gem war, Jasper, the Diamonds, it didn't matter in that moment.

Because he wasn't at that point in time yet. Besides, he had the other Crystal Gems to watch out for him.

Whatever happened, he was sure they would be together for it all.

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 **This ended up being a lot heavier than expected. It was originally just going to be a simple, cute story about Stevonnie driving around and stargazing and I don't know what happened in between me coming up with the idea and actually writing this.**

 **Also, the second Gem war is just a theory I have. I think it would be very interesting to see how exactly all of it would play out, and I could easily imagine Steven and Connie getting worried about the thought of it happening.**


	2. One-Way Conversation

**Oh, you thought this was just going to be a one-shot, huh? So did I. Well, now it's a series of short stories/drabbles, because I feel like it.**

 **Once again, I'm writing this in the middle of the night, and it came out a little heavier than expected. But, when you're doing something like this, it's easy to do something like that.**

 **Anyway, this drabble contains spoilers for Beta, Earthlings, Back to the Moon, and Bubbled. Please read with caution.**

 **I always kind of thought it would be sweet for Lapis to have little conversations and heart to hearts with Jasper while she's bubbled, so that she's not lonely, and so that she can get the help and support she needs, so that's what I decided to write out. For once, I'm breaking my personal 1,000+ word limit with these stories, as they're simply drabbles, and not chapters of a large story. I think they're better kept short than extra long.**

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Garnet and Lapis Lazuli walked through the Burning Room until they found the purple bubble they were looking for.

"I'm surprised you even wanted to do this." Garnet stated. She leaned against the wall, watching intently as Lapis gently held Jasper's bubble, bringing it to her eye level. "I would've thought that you never wanted to look at her again."

Lapis sat cross legged on the floor, letting the bubble float above her head. "Well, she needed help. She needed friends." Lapis looked down. "Besides, I'm not really not one to hold grudges, even if I'm justified in it. But more importantly, Jasper needs support from being obsessed with fusion. So, I just thought, why not me? I'm in a better place right now."

"Don't tell that to me." Garnet replied, pointing to Jasper. "Tell it to her."

Lapis nodded softly, and took a deep breath. _She can hear me in there._ She thought. "Hey, Jasper." She began. "It's me, Lapis. L-Lapis Lazuli. I, um..." She lost her words for a moment, and looked at Garnet for answers. The only thing she did was just give a thumbs up in response. "I just wanted to say sorry. For breaking you like this. No, not breaking, really. Corrupting." She paused for a little. "Should I be apologizing for this? I feel like I should. After all, I pushed Malachite..." She sighed. "Look, I'm here for you. We all are. You're no less of a Gem than when you emerged. You're still you, and I'm still me, we've just changed a little, is all. But, that's not a bad thing!"

Garnet walked a little ways away to give them some space. Lapis didn't seem to notice.

"Like, for example, I learned to be myself, and stand up for myself." Lapis continued. "I've been expressing myself and my emotions, and how to...how to...well, live. I'm living here, with Peridot, making morps and just being free. Earth isn't all that bad, I'll tell you this now. You don't have to worry about the Diamonds, any of them. Steven told me what you told him, by the way. About Pink Diamond."

Lapis paused again. She knew this was a sensitive subject, but she decided to go on anyway.

"When I was trapped in the mirror, I lost everything." Lapis said softly. "My freewill, my identity, everything. So, I know what it's like, losing something as important as a Diamond. But, I don't let that hold me back. In fact, the Crystal Gems helped me recover everything. I have...I have what Steven calls a 'family' now. And 'families'...are so nice to have. They comfort you when you're down, cheer you on in important missions, watch trashy shows with you. I have a home here, and when you feel you're ready to rejoin the world as your old self, or most of it, so do you."

Lapis stood up and guided Jasper back up to the rest of the bubbles. "We'll be waiting for you until then." She turned towards Garnet, then stopped. "Oh, and by the way. If you could, can you tell Steven about what Pink Diamond was like? I think he would appreciate that. He doesn't know much about Homeworld. The Gems won't tell him much about it. Thanks."

Lapis just realized that she had been crying. She didn't know when the tears had started, but she quickly brushed them away. Garnet lead her out of the Burning Room and back to the rest of the Temple without a single word.

"Thanks for letting me do that, Garnet." Lapis said.

"Don't thank me." Garnet replied. "Thank Steven. He was the one who came up with the idea. After all, it's quite important for you and Jasper to get onto at least neutral terms with each other. Both of you need each other to heal. But more importantly, you need time. And that's exactly what you're doing. You're giving yourself and Jasper time to heal and reconnect. It won't be easy, there will be times where you want to go back to your old self, but just keep working at it together. Don't let anything stop you, but just remember, time and space are key in all of this."

Lapis nodded. "Right. I'll try my best to remember that."

Garnet smiled and ruffled Lapis' hair slightly. "Good. If you ever want to talk to Jasper, come find me. I'll let you in for as long as you want."

Lapis thanked Garnet for the help and warped back to the barn, feeling lighter than when she first came in.

She was glad to have talked to Jasper, even if she couldn't respond.


End file.
